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Friday, August 24, 2007

Not in my new kitchen yet, but still cookin' away...

*Just a quick addition - since we moved, I've had to update my e-mail address as our old internet provider does not provide access where we will now live. We went ahead and bought a domain (a kind of catchy one at least!) and I've changed the address for the final time. I don't know if we will move the blog to the domain at all, but at least we will have a permanent e-mail address. If you want to get it, it is linked on the right hand side under "Have a question?"

We had the inspection done on the new house today and everything came out well! There are of course a couple of little things, but nothing at all to worry about - hurray! The only thing that is left to do is the appraisal and then we are set to close on September 4th. Things seem to be moving along at lightning speed, but at least it looks like we will be able to get settled in fairly quick. Here's a teaser shot of the the walkway up to the house...

We will be going to the "Great Minnesota Get-Together" this weekend and we are pretty excited! It has been years since we have been to the Minnesota State Fair - I'm sure Jeff will make a bee-line for the pork chop on-a-stick stand... that is a must-have for him. We'll try to get a post about it up on the site Sunday or Monday.

While I've been cookin' along in the apartment, I have been heavily relying on old favorites that are dead easy to make or don't really have a recipe - however, I did pick a new recipe for us to make for dinner. I picked up a large pack of chicken from Costco today so I could portion it out and get it in the freezer, but I left a pound out so I could make tonight's dinner of Spicy Soba Noodles with Chicken in Peanut Sauce.

With a generous base of chewy buckwheat (soba) noodles, this nutty dish was quite filling and satisfying. Threaded with thin strips of bright orange carrots, the noodles are dressed with a creamy peanut sauce. Thick peanut butter is thinned out with chicken broth and is then seasoned with soy sauce for a salty edge, a garlic clove and fresh ginger for a spicy bite. Crushed red pepper brings just enough spice when balanced wwith a bit of sweet honey to bring a gentle note of heat to the dish. Sliced fresh green onions are tossed on top along with a smattering of crunchy peanuts for the finishing touch to tie in with the sauce. This kept us well-fed for tonight with enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. While the shredded chicken added a hearty element to this dish, I think we will have to try this meal again with some grilled shrimp for a more delicate flavor. I know not everyone may have access to soba noodles, so if this is you or you just don't like the texture, you could use whole wheat spaghetti instead.

18 comments:

Wow, Joe. That was fast finding a house. I still cannot believe you are cooking and updating your blog after your drive and move to MN. My blog is lacking considerably, and I've cooked twice and baked once (ruined a batch of peach muffins) in the two months since I got to Vancouver. LOL. :)

Your house looks lovely. Congrats on finding it and closing so quickly. I'll check back next week and hope to see more pictures then.

Christina - Thanks, I know the picture is a little small, but we are still trying to get things together before we post the rest. I hope to get them up soon - however, it may not be until we actually get our stuff inside!

I was totally kidding about the "on-a-stick" edibles from the fair--I don't think I have ever had anything on a stick there before! Some of the new creations this year sound less than appetizing! Hope you have/had fun!

Joe - I'm glad that you and Jeff have settled on a place and that the appraisal has come out fair. I hope the next week or so goes smoothly, so you guys can move in and get on with the next chapter of your lives in beautiful Minnesota.